Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Philip U. Sauré
Author-Name-First: Philip U.
Author-Name-Last: Sauré
Author-Person: psa635
Author-Name: Hosny Zoabi
Author-Name-First: Hosny
Author-Name-Last: Zoabi
Author-Person: pzo24
Title: Effects of Trade on Female Labor Force Participation
Abstract: Male and female labor are imperfect substitutes and some sectors are more suitable for female employment than others. Clearly, expansions of those sectors that use female labor intensively must affect aggregate female labor force participation (FLFP). We suggest that FLFP actually drops when trade and international specialization expand sectors that use female labor intensively. This effect arises because expansions of the former sectors come along with contractions of others. The latter contractions, in turn, induce male workers to move to the expanding sectors, driving female workers out of formal employment. Thus, a country that is exporting female labor content is actually substituting male labor for female. Finally, building on U.S.-Mexican trade data, we provide empirical evidence that support our argument.
Length: 58 pages
Creation-Date: 2009
Contact-Email: forschung@snb.ch
File-URL: https://www.snb.ch/en/publications/research/working-papers/2009/working_paper_2009_12
File-Format: text/html
Number: 2009-12
Classification-JEL: F10, F16, J13, J16
Keywords: Trade, Female Labor Force Participation, Fertility, Technological Change
Handle: RePEc:snb:snbwpa:2009-12